PIAA Update PIAA Supplemental Disqualification PIAA Supplemental Disqualification

PIAA Update PIAA Supplemental Disqualification

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification General Rule. Preamble Sportsmanship is a core principle in interscholastic athletics. Actions which are unethical and/or intended to demean, embarrass, intimidate or injure opposing contestants, Teams, spectators and/or officials are considered unsportsmanlike and will not be tolerated since they are contrary to the purposes of PIAA and convey lessons incompatible with the reason why high school sports exist.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • What is it? • Provides for additional suspension penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior • Why? • PIAA Board of Directors concerned with increase in number of ejections • Support of officials who face unsportsmanlike conduct by coaches and players • When does it go into effect? • It goes into effect for all sports for the 2020 -2021 school year

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • What does it entail? • Supplemental Disqualification. Two Game Suspension Any Coach and/or contestant who is ejected from a Contest by a state high school association recognized and/or registered official and a component of the ejection is confronting, contacting or addressing a Coach, contestant or official using foul or vulgar language, ethnic or racially insensitive comments or physical contact will be disqualified from competition for the remainder of the day and for the next two (2) Contests including all Contests on the next two (2) Contest days of the same level (varsity, junior varsity, or otherwise) of competition from which the Coach and/or contestant was previously disqualified.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • Where can it occur? • For the purposes of this provision, the jurisdiction of the official(s) to apply and enforce this rule begins upon the official’s arrival at the Contest site and ends when the official (or the last of the team of officials) leaves the Contest site. The Contest site is defined as premises on which the competition surface is located and includes the entirety of the premises and parking areas.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • Additional training is involved: • When the Supplemental Disqualification implicates a contestant, and in addition to the two (2) Contests disqualification, the contestant may not return to competition representing the contestant’s school until the contestant completes the NFHS Sportsmanship program at NFHSLearn (online) and provides a certification of completion of this program to the student’s Principal and the Principal submits the certification to the PIAA District Sport Chairman.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • Additional training is involved for coaches: • A Coach disqualified under this provision may not return to competition representing the Coach’s school until the Coach completes the NFHS Sportsmanship program and Teaching and Modeling Behavior program at NFHSLearn (online) and provides a certification of completion of these two programs to the Coach’s Principal and the Principal submits the certification to the PIAA District Sport Chairman.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • Final Point to Support Officials: • A PIAA District Committee may, at its discretion, convene a hearing to address any and all disqualifications and may provide additional penalties as warranted by the circumstances. • Penalties handed down by the District Committee would be covered under Article XIII of PIAA bylaws.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • What does this mean for schools and coaches? • Any ejection involving confronting, contacting or addressing a Coach, contestant or official using foul or vulgar language, ethnic or racially insensitive comments or physical contact results in a two game sit out penalty.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • What does this mean for officials? • Any ejection involving confronting, contacting or addressing a Coach, contestant or official using foul or vulgar language, ethnic or racially insensitive comments or physical contact results in a two game sit out penalty which must be communicated to the coach or school immediately after the contest.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • What does (continued)? this mean for officials • Officials must immediately or immediately after the contest notify the coach or athletic administrator that the ejection is a supplemental ejection. • There is no need to inform the coach of the penalty. Officials should just state, “Coach, that is a Supplemental Ejection. ”

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • What does (continued)? this mean for officials • When officials fill out the disqualification form online they must use the actual language used by the ejected person or the acts committed that fall under this new Supplemental Disqualification • Officials must also check the Supplemental Ejection box signifying its additional penalty

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • What does (continued)? this mean for officials • Once officials arrive on the premises that the contest is going to be played they have jurisdiction under this Supplemental Ejection policy • This jurisdiction continues until officials leave the premises • Officials approached at their vehicles, in their locker rooms and any other locations while on the premises may issue the Supplemental Ejection

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • Additional Notes • The Supplemental Ejection is not designed for violations of “Rules of the Game” but rather for the conduct and foul language that result in the ejection. • The one game sit out penalty still remains for those actions that do not fit the Supplemental Ejection policy. • PIAA Board of Directors has given officials an additional tool to use, if warranted, to curb bad behavior. • PIAA Board of Directors is concerned about the number of ejections and the conduct and foul language that result in ejections. • This could aid in the recruitment and retention of officials if bad behaviors are reduced.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • A few examples: • Situation: After the basketball game has concluded and the officials are in the locker room, varsity head coach Jones begins to bang on the door and use profanity toward the officials. • Ruling: The coach’s actions would merit a Supplemental Disqualification. The crew chief must file the Supplemental Disqualification report within 24 hours on Coach Jones who must sit out the next two varsity contests. The crew chief must also make contact with Coach Jones’ athletic director immediately after leaving the contest site to inform them that the Supplemental Disqualification was issued on Coach Jones.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • A few examples: • Situation: During a junior varsity soccer game a player from team A commits a handball violation in the box. • Ruling: The referee properly issues a red card and escorts the player to the sideline. The referee also informs the coach of the reason for ejection. The referee must file the Disqualification Report within 24 hours and the player must sit out the next junior varsity contest. • This is a standard one game sit out disqualification penalty.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • A few examples: • Situation: In the third inning of a baseball game the head coach disagrees with a safe/out call and charges onto the field while yelling profanities at the umpire. • Ruling: The umpire must eject the head coach and inform them that they are being assessed a Supplemental Disqualification. The crew chief must file the Supplemental Disqualification report within 24 hours on Coach Smith who must sit out the next two junior varsity contests.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • A few examples: • Situation: During the boys varsity soccer match, Player A 1 is taken down with a legal tackle by Player B 1. Player A 1 feels that a foul should have been called and jumps from the ground and yells at the nearest official saying, “Hey Ref, you suck. ” • Ruling: The official must immediately be issued a red card and eject Player A 1. The official must then inform Player A 1’s head coach of the ejection and the fact that it is a Supplemental Disqualification due to the foul language directed at the official. The ejecting official must file the Supplemental Disqualification report within 24 hours on the player who must sit out the next two varsity contests.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • A few examples: • • Situation: After the volleyball match has concluded and the officials are walking through the school lobby to get to their cars a parent confronts the officials and uses profanity toward them. Ruling: The officials must not engage the parent in discussion and should continue to their vehicle, if possible. Upon reaching their vehicles the crew chief must immediately contact the host school’s athletic director and inform them of what occurred. The officials do not retain jurisdiction under the Supplemental Disqualification in this instance. It does not apply to fans, only coaches and contestants. School athletic administrators must take action to prevent this type of occurrence in the future.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • A few examples: • • Situation: After the varsity football game has ended and the officials are gathering at the 40 yard line to proceed to the locker room, the head coach rushes on to the field and confronts the crew about calls made that evening. The coach while using foul and abusive language contacts one of the officials. Ruling: The crew chief must inform the head coach that he is being assessed a Supplemental Disqualification for his actions. The crew chief must file the Supplemental Disqualification report within 24 hours on the head coach who must sit out the next two varsity contests.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • A few examples: • Situation: During the girls varsity soccer match, Player A 1 is taken down with a legal tackle by Player B 1. Player A 1 does not appreciate the tackle so she jumps from the ground and begins to cough directly and at close proximity to Player B 1. • Ruling: The official must immediately issue a red card and eject Player A 1. The official must then inform Player A 1’s head coach of the ejection and the fact that it is a Supplemental Disqualification due to the nature of the conduct directed at the Player B 1 in relation to the negative hygienic affects posed by the conduct. The ejecting official must file the Supplemental Disqualification report within 24 hours on the player who must sit out the next two varsity contests.

PIAA Supplemental Disqualification • Final Point: • • Question: On the new 2 game DQ is it going to be the officials’ decision if it’s a 2 game DQ or the PIAA’s after reviewing the report? Answer: As with the previous 1 game DQ, it is always the decision of the official to eject but the actions of the player or coach will be the deciding factor whether the Supplemental DQ is used. The official really has no decision to make. If the actions are what is listed in the Supplemental Disqualification the penalty is 2 games, the decision will be made for them by the actions of the offender. The official will not have the ability to choose between the two different disqualifications. The choice will be made for them.

Questions? Please reach out to Pat Gebhart at PIAA at 717 -697 -0374 ext. *121 or via email at pgebhart@piaa. org Thank you.